Shaft bearing



June 11, 1935. J H DORAN SHAFT BEARING Filed April 28, 1932 -Fig. I.

I'm/enter: John H. Dorom;

I 644- His Abto'r'neg.

Patented June 11, 1935 UNITED STATES IPATENT OFFICE SHAFT BEARING .John H. Doran, Scotla, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application April 28, 1932, Serial No. 607,999 8 Claims. (01. 3089) The present invention relates to bearings for and an inner portion l somewhat shorter in supporting rotary shafts. length than the outer portion and fastened there- It has been observed that shafts running in to by means of a dovetail connection. The axial journal bearings develop vibratory and whirling length of the portion l4 accordingly is equal to 5 disturbances, particularly at speeds above twice the axial length of the recess, that is, about three- 5 critical speeds. Also, shafts running in journal fourths of the length of the bearing, and the bearings at less than twice critical speeds but circumferential width of the member I4 is about carrying light loads or loads changeable in (11- one-third of that of the recess, that is, in the rection-have a tendency towards instability and present instance the circumferential width of frequently cause the shaft to vibrate, thus dethe segment is of the order of sixty angular veloping unstable behavior known as whirling degrees. The inner portion l5, which floats on and whipping of the shaft. the shaft, is preferably made of the same metal The object of my invention is to provide an as the bearing lining. In order to prevent sideimproved arrangement for bearings in which the wise movement of the segment I provide means whipping and whirling motions of the shaft are such as dowel pins l6 fastened to the upper bear- 15 effectively dampened or prevented. ing half and entering holes l1 in the outer por- For a consideration of what I believe to be tion of the segment. .I8 is a conduit for connovel, and my invention, attention is directed meeting an outer portion of the recess I3 with to the following description and the claims apthe oil supply line 9. 2| and 22 are other con- 20 pended thereto in connection with the drawing duits connecting the spaces adjacent the segment 20 which forms a part of my specification. with oil line 9. Oil supplied through the latter In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a view, partly broken conduits serves for lubricating and cooling the away, of a bearing embodying my invention, and bearing. Oil supplied under pressure from con- Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view along line 2-2 of duit 9 to portion 20 of the recess forces the seg-' Fig. 1. I ment which floats on the shaft in radial direction 25 Referring to the drawing, 3 is a rotary shaft towards the shaft. Preferably I provide an supported by a bearing which has been shown as arrangement in which the oil pressure of the segcomprising a lower half 4 and an upper half 5 ment acts in the same direction as the static engaging each other along a horizontal plane pressure on the shaft, that is, in case the shaft through the axis of rotation. 6 designates the is loaded in downward direction, as assumed in do bearing lining held to the lower and upper bearing the present instance, I provide the segment near halves respectively in known manner by means of the center of the upper bearing half, that is, dovetail connections, indicated at l and 8 reradially opposite the load-carrying region of the spectively. 9 is a conduit through which oil or bearing. like lubricant is supplied in suflicient quantity The oil pressure exerted on the outside of the to produce complete fluid-film lubrication. Prosegment forces the same towards the shaft vided near the horizontal plane through the axis whereby a small clearance between the segment of rotation is a groove or recess l0 connected to and the upper bearing portion is created through a conduit H for discharging the lubricant. The which oil flows in sidewise direction. It will be bearing lining is partly cut away near the horireadily understood that the oil pressure remains zontal plane through the axis, as indicated at I2, substantially constant as long as a stable condito facilitate the flow of lubricant to the lower tion of the rotating shaft exists. If, however, bearing half. The construction so far described the shaft begins to whirl or whip for instance, may be considered as typical of any bearing due to a sudden change in load, the shaft forces arrangement in which oil or like lubricant is supthe segment outwardly, to the effect that the flow plied to the shaft. of oil through conduit 20 and along the outer According to my invention I provide the upper surface of the segment is restricted and an inbearing half with a recess |3,in the present increased oil pressure is thereby built up. The instance shown as extending circumferentially over creased oil pressure in turn has an increased 0 the entire arc and axially about three-quarters stabilizing effect on the rotating shaft, more speof the length of the upper bearing half. In this cifically, when the oil pressure during the uprecess I provide a segment or segments, in the ward movement of the shaft has reached a magpresent instance illustrated as a single segment nitude sufficient to overcome the upward force, centrally arranged with respect to the upper the segment and the shaft will be forced downbearing half and comprising an outer portion l4 ward. This relieves the high oil pressure whereby the shaft will force the segment upward again. Each upward movement of the shaft effects a building up of oil pressure in the upper bearing half and a consequent downward movement of the shaft under action of the oil pressure. From another viewpoint, the vibratory energy of the shaft causes building up of oil pressure whereby at least a part of the vibratory or whipping energy is dissipated. From another viewpoint, my invention comprises the provision of means for automatically stabilizing a rotary shaft supported by a bearing. These means include a conduit having an opening ending in a recess provided in the bearing. Located in said recess is a movable member having an outer surface adjacent the opening of the conduit and an inner surface adjacent the shaft. The conduit together with the member define a valve means which is moved in terms of radial movement of the shaft to increase automatically the oil pressure as the whipping or whirling of the shaft increases. From still another viewpoint, the member or segment has an inner surface bearing against the shaft and an outer surface subject to the oil pressure from the conduit. The outer wall defining the recess, and the outer surface of the segment define a channel for conducting oil under pressure or like fluid to the shaft. Whipping causes the segment to move radially outward to automatically decrease the cross area of said channel and accordingly increase the oil pressure, resulting in a reduction of the whipping. Thus, with an arrangement according to my invention the unstable behavior of a rotating shaft is effectively dampened.

Having described the method of operation of my invention, together 'with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:-

1. The combination with a shaft and a bearing having a bearing surface fitting the shaft and a recess in the bearing surface facing the shaft opposite the load carrying region, of a member provided in the recess and being movable radially relative to the shaft, and means for supplying oil under pressure to force the movable member towards the shaft to reduce vibratory movement of the latter.

2. The combination with a shaft and a bearing having a bearing surface fitting the shaft and a recess in the bearing surface facing the shaft opposite the load carrying region, of a segment in the recess floating on the shaft and being movable radially relative to the shaft, means for preventing sidewise movement of the segment, and means for supplying oil under pressure for forcing the segment toward the shaft to reduce vibratory movement of the latter.

3. The combination with a shaft and a bearing having a bearing surface fitting the shaft and a recess in the bearing surface facing the shaft opposite the load carrying region, of a segment provided in a part of the recess, said segment having a circumferential width of the order of sixty angular degrees and being movable radially relative to the shaft, means for supplying oil under pressure to the outside of the segment for forcing it towards the shaft to reduce vibratory movement of the latter, and means for supplying oil to another part of the recess.

4. The combination with a shaft and a bearing for the shaft, of means for automatically stabilizing the shaft to reduce whipping thereof comprising a conduit for conducting fluid under pressure to the bearing surface, and valve means for the conduit having a member opposite the load carrying region of the bearing moved by the shaft to automatically increase the oil pressure in response to radial movement of the shaft.

5. The combination with a rotary shaft and a bearing for the shaft having an upper and a lower bearing surface, of means for automatically stabilizing the shaft to reduce whipping thereof comprising'a conduit having an open end portion terminating in a recess in the bearing surface for conducting oil under pressure to the bearing surface, a member in the recess having an outer surface facing the end portion of the conduit and an inner surface facing the shaft opposite the load carrying region of the bearing for automatically changing the oil pressure in response to radial movement of the shaft whereby the member is forced towards the shaft with an increased force as the whipping of the shaft increases.

6. The combination with a rotary shaft and a bearing for the shaft, of means for automatically stabilizing the shaft to reduce whipping thereof comprising a conduit having an open end portion terminating in a recess in the bearing surface for conducting fluid under pressure to the bearing, and means for automatically changing the fluid pressure in response to radial movement of the shaft, said means comprising a segment located in said recess with its outer surface subject to the oil pressure and its inner surface bearing against the shaft opposite the load carrying region of the bearing, and guide pins fastened in the bearing and entering holes in the outer surface of the segment whereby whipping of the shaft causes the segment to move towards the opening of said conduit to automatically increase the oil pressure.

7. The combination with a rotary shaft and a bearing for the shaft, of means for automatically stabilizing the shaft to reduce whipping thereof comprising a conduit for conducting fluid under pressure to a recess in the bearing surface, a segment in the recess having aninner surface bearing against the shaft opposite the load carrying region of the bearing and an outer surface subject to the fluid pressure and defining a channel for conducting fluid to the shaft, the segment being free to move radially towards and away from the shaft, whereby whipping of the shaft forces the segment radially outward to automatically decrease the cross area of said channel and accordingly increase the oil pressure.

8. The combination with a shaft and a bearing having a bearing surface fitting the shaft and a recess facing the shaft, of a movable member provided in the recess, and means for supplying oil under pressure to force the movable member towards the shaft, the movable member being located radially opposite the load-carrying region of the shaft whereby the static load on the shaft acts in the same direction as the oil pressure and aids in stabilizing the bearing.

I JOHN H. DORAN. 

